Sports

MacKinnon running through hoops

Sherwood Park product and Archbishop Jordan grad Erin MacKinnon has had a fine first season with the Grant MacEwan Griffins, helping the team to an undefeated season and a berth in this week s nationals in Lethbridge.

Helping your team to an undefeated season and a berth at the national championships? That's not a bad start at all to the collegiate career of Sherwood Park basketball player Erin MacKinnon.

The Archbishop Jordan grad entered into her first year in education at Grant MacEwan University and earned a spot on the Griffins women's basketball team.

Grant MacEwan would take off with the Park product in the lineup, going an undefeated 24-0 on the season and handily defeating Calgary's Mount Royal by 32 points in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference's provincial final to advance through to the national championships.

"I guess its not a bad way to start off college," MacKinnon laughed. "I definitely didn't think it would go as well as it has. We just have a really good team and I'm really glad to be a part of it."

MacKinnon led the Griffins with 18 points in the provincial championship game.

"We were pretty confident going into the game," she said.

"We had beaten them by 30 points the last time we had played them, but we still definitely respected them heading into the final because they are a really good team. We knew we had to come out with our best and we felt like we had one of our best games all season."

As a result of her strong showing in the provincial final, MacKinnon was named the ACAC Athlete of the Week.

It was the third time this season that she has netted the award.

The Griffins will now head off to the national championships in Lethbridge, running from March 15 to 17.

"It's really cool," MacKinnon said. "I've never been a part of something this big. Even wining provincials and getting to cut down the net as a prize, that was a pretty cool experience. Nationals are going to be fun. There's going to be tons of people there and crowds like I have never played in front of before."

There are expectations of a strong showing at nationals as the Griffins have been ranked the top team in Canada since Christmas.

"We feel confident, but not over-confident," MacKinnon said.

"We know what we can do if we all play well and work together, but these teams we will be facing are mostly a lot physically bigger than us and taller. We are going to have to go out and play our game and not let them decide how it is going to go just by size."

MacKinnon hopes that the partisan Alberta crowds in Lethbridge are a factor.

"Even though it's not exactly home for us, I think we will have a bit of an advantage being an Alberta team," she said.

"We should have a few more fans behind us and that makes for a more exciting atmosphere when you have that. I think that will help."

The Sherwood standout has proven her talent in other realms as well, helping ABJ win the Premier girls soccer title last year in addition to being an accomplished bagpiper.

However, basketball is where her passion lies.

Where it will take her is what she doesn't know as of yet.

"I want to play CIS eventually, but I plan on being back with the Griffins next year," she said. "We have such a strong base of first-years and it is a really fun team to be a part of. I'm not really looking much farther than next year."